Tag: food

Spring is coming soon!

Or rather, here in sunny Florida… early summer is coming!

No matter where you live, this is the time of year where you suddenly want to get outside and DO things! It’s also typically the time of year where you start taking your house apart, determined to clean *everything* with varying degrees of success. I’ve read some pretty interesting things about where that concept of “Spring Cleaning” comes from: trying to rid the house of all leavened bread (and crumbs) before Passover, purging the bad luck from your house at Chinese New Year, and preparing for Nowruz (Persian New Year). It seems the general consensus all over the world is that this is a time of throwing out the stuff that is cluttering up your life and being distracting, and making things fresh and new again.

I don’t know about you, but for me this also extends to the condition of my body. New Year’s Eve comes and goes and resolutions are made, but it isn’t until spring that I really get into doing things to improve the way I feel.

While having an exercise routine you love, that produces results for you is definitely one great thing to do for yourself, it’s only part of the picture when it comes to making a vast improvement in how you feel physically. So, here I humbly present some of my favorite Spring Cleansing tips. Quick disclaimer, though: I’m not a doctor or even studying to be one, so if you have any questions about these things you should definitely ask someone who is:

Eat things that make you feel better

Seriously. If you feel amazing after eating pears, if you can’t eat enough kale salad… with some apple cider vinegar and lemon on top and a little feta cheese thrown in there (yummm!) or if you just love to juice… DO IT. Your body needs different things at different times of the year and under different circumstances. I think that’s pretty universally accepted, right?

Never underestimate the power of water

It does account for more than half of a body’s composition, after all. The majority of the systems in your body need plenty of water to function properly – from the integumentary (skin) to the digestive. A simple rule of thumb: drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day. Example: If you weigh 140 lbs, drink 70 ounces of water a day.

Heat things up

One of the things I’ve done for my annual Spring Cleansing is tried out the Far Infrared sauna at a local spa. I’d heard a lot about the detoxifying, relaxing, pain relieving (and more) benefits of Far Infrared saunas. I went a few times a month for a few months, and I was impressed. It was relaxing and it improved the tension and pain I carried around in my neck and shoulders. I even noticed that I had smoother skin. If you look into that, make sure you check on any contraindications there may be for any specific health issues you might have, but you may find it’s well worth the research.

Walk, Walk, Walk

There are actually studies showing that walking can slow down the aging process and increase your lifespan. I was thinking it’s just refreshing and helps get your attention out into the world (which is helpful when you’re trying to organize and de-clutter your life). At least 20 minutes spent walking per day is reported to help maintain healthy body weight, reduce the risk of various health conditions and diseases, improve cognitive function and it’s a great way to get some sun exposure.

I hope you enjoyed this list. Please feel free to add to it or let us know if any of these things have worked for you by commenting below! Now, I’m going to go take a walk…

P.S. If you’ve been there and done that, or you just want to try a more rigorous cleanse, check out one of these!